Famous reggae musician Bunny Wailer, 73, died Tuesday in Jamaica, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Wailer died at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in St. Andrew after suffering complications from a stroke that occurred in July, Wailer’s manager confirmed to the AP.
Wailer was the last surviving member of The Wailers, according to the outlet. Wailer formed the band in 1963 with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, the Associated Press reported. The group became well-known with the release of “Catch a Fire.” (RELATED: Founding Member Of The Supremes, Mary Wilson, Dies Suddenly At 76)
Many musicians and political leaders mourned Wailer’s death.
“Jah-B was a vanguard, always pushing the boundaries of expression, whether in song, in style or in spoken word,” local reggae musician Brian Paul Welsh said, according to the outlet. “There was and can only ever be one Neville Livingston.”
“The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, brings to a close the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience,” wrote Jamaica politician Peter Phillips in a Facebook post, the outlet reported. “Bunny was a good, conscious Jamaican brethren.”
Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, called Wailer a “respected elder statesman of the Jamaican music scene.”
(1/5) My deep condolences to the family, friends and fans of legendary Reggae artiste, Neville Livingston, also known as Bunny Wailer, JahB. pic.twitter.com/gPiMZOPEt0
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) March 2, 2021
“This is a great loss for Jamaica and for Reggae, undoubtedly Bunny Wailer will always be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music industry and Jamaica’s culture,” he wrote on Twitter.
Wailer received the Order of Jamaica, the country’s fifth-highest order, in 2012 and was given the Order of Merit in 2017.